Jean-Claude Junker, EU european union, political union, political entity, integration, eurozone, single market, central government, Robert Schuman, Brexit, federalist, European Council, commission, Council of Ministers
In his 2017 White Paper, Jean-Claude Junker, president of the European Commission, proposes five possible scenarios concerning the European Union's future after Britain's definite departure in 2019. These scenarios range from "nothing but the single market" -- where the Union is recentered around the single market and focuses on reducing regulations at the EU level—to "doing much more together" with a deeper cooperation of all member states in all areas and, even if the word is not explicitly used in the paper, a turn toward federal integration. The European Union would then become a state constituted of smaller units sharing a central government and internationally recognized as a single political entity, a political union. It is obvious from the tone of the White Paper that Brussels favors the fifth scenario: federalization. This proposition refers to the Five Presidents Report published in June 2015 which proposes a plan to complete economic, financial, political and fiscal integration among the 19 eurozone members by 2025.
[...] While differing significantly, these two visions demonstrate the progression of the idea of an European political union towards a Federation. Both conceptions would require important modification in the European treaties and reduction of state's sovereignty, that all members state would have to approve unanimously. As of today, members have different interpretation of what a political union would entail therefore it is very unlikely that the 27 members or even the 19 eurozone members would rally to any of those propositions. [...]
[...] Therefore article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union gives voters in smaller member state are over represented. For example, A Luxembourg citizen has ten times more weight than a German citizen because Luxembourg with a population of around people has 6 seats compared to Germany, with a population of more than 82 million people, which has 96 seats. A German MPE represents 838 citizens, while a Luxembourg MEP represent 90 citizens. Studies show that making the distribution more equal would be simple as it would only entails reducing the number of seats in the four smallest member states (Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus, and Estonia) from six to three each. [...]
[...] However, it would require a modification of the Treaty on the European Union. Those restraints are that it cannot propose bill, it has constrained legislative initiative and budgetary powers. The Commission proposes bills which are then discussed by the Parliament and the Council. Though, it can ask the Commission to produce a certain draft for a new piece of legislation. However, formally the legislative power can only react to a proposal from the executive, it cannot initiate the amending or the repealing of an existing legislation. [...]
[...] The power limitations of the Parliament can considerably hinder the European political integration. As, since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 and the enforcement of the ordinary legislative procedure the Parliament plays a crucial role to in determining the content of legislation. Correcting the Parliament's limitations would require relatively minor reforms to be addressed, such the right to a legislative initiative and a more consistent involvement in the EU budget. III/ A sustainable Political Union cannot be established without increasing the solidarity link between the member states by reforming the Economic Union. [...]
[...] On the contrary, Berlin is in favor of a binding legal document, in the form of an Economic Constitution, to enforce this new integrated area. This Constitution would expose binding budget rules that would be enforced through automatic sanctions from Brussels or by independent agencies. The former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, currently at the head of the Bundestag declared that he wanted to install an "eurozone finance minister" with the power to override national ministers and even Parliaments. However, those proposals cannot enter into effect while Germany's 1949 Constitution is still active. [...]
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